I can say without any hesitation that HK will always be my favourite destination for a short or even a long holiday. I had thoroughly enjoyed my stay there in the years 2002 and 2007. The last time I went to HK the skyscraper in the picture to the top right was the tallest building in Hong Kong. However, another building on the other side of the bay, namely, in Kowloon is now I believe the tallest building there.
Hong Kong alternatively known by its initials H.K., is one of the two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China, the other being Macau. It is situated on China's south coast and, enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is known for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour. With a land mass of 1,104 km2 (426 sq mi) and a population of seven million people, Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated areas in the world. Hong Kong's population is 93.6% ethnic Chinese and 6.4% from other groups. Hong Kong's Cantonese-speaking majority originate mainly from the neighbouring Canton (now Guangdong) province from which many of them fled to escape wars and Communist rule in China from the 1930s to the 1960s.
Hong Kong became a colony of the British
Empire after the First
Opium War (1839–42). The Hong Kong Island was first ceded to the UK in
perpetuity, followed by Kowloon
Peninsula in 1860 and then the New Territories was put under lease in 1898. It was occupied by Japan during the Pacific War (1941–45), after which the British
resumed control until 1997, when China
resumed sovereignty. The region
espoused minimum government intervention under the ethos of positive
non-interventionism during the
colonial era. The time period
greatly influenced the current culture of Hong Kong, often described as "East meets West", and the educational system, which used to
loosely follow the system in England until
reforms implemented in 2009.
Under the principle of "one country, two systems", Hong
Kong has a different political system from mainland
China. Hong Kong's independent judiciary functions under the common law framework. Hong Kong Basic Law, its
constitutional document, which stipulates that Hong Kong shall have a
"high degree of autonomy" in all matters except foreign relations and
military defence, governs its political
system. Although it has a
burgeoning multi-party system, a
small-circle electorate controls half of its legislature.
The head of the government, the Chief
Executive of Hong Kong, is chosen by an Election
Committee of 400 to 1,200
members, a situation that will be in effect during the first 20 years of
Chinese rule.
Hong Kong is a world
city. It
is one of the Alpha+ cities and it is usually considered as the fifth most important city in the world,
after New York City, London, Paris and Tokyo.
Also, a Time Magazine article in 2008 coined the phrase "Nylonkong",
which referred to New York City, London and Hong Kong, that these three cities
form a global network that facilitates the global economy. As one of the
world's leading international financial
centres, Hong Kong has a major capitalist service economy characterised by low
taxation and free trade, and the currency, Hong Kong dollar, is the eighth most traded currency in the
world. The lack of space
caused demand for denser constructions, which developed the city to a centre
for modern architecture and the world's most vertical city. Hong Kong has one of the highest per capita incomes in the world. The dense space also led to a highly
developed transportation network with the public transport
travelling rate exceeding 90 percent, the
highest in the world. Hong Kong
has numerous high international
rankings in various aspects. For
instance, its economic freedom,
financial and economic competitiveness, quality
of life, corruption perception, Human Development Index are all ranked highly. According to
estimates from both UN and WHO, Hong Kong had the longest life expectancy of any region in the world in 2012. Hong
Kong also has the highest average IQ score in 81 countries around the world.
Thank you Cadence Chan Sin Ting from Hong Kong for this lovely
card.
